City of Alexandria Named One of America’s 50 Greenest CitiesSurvey Conducted by Popular Science Ranks Alexandria #30

The City of Alexandria was named by Popular Science as one of “America’s 50 Greenest Cities,” localities that were cited as leaders in implementing successful and rapid environmental action. The City, which ranked number 30 on the list, scored 15.7 out of a possible 30 points. The city ranked number 1 was Portland, Oregon; Greensboro, North Carolina ranked 50.

To develop the rankings, Popular Science used raw data from the U.S. Census Bureau, and the National Geographic Society’s Green Guide, which collected survey data and government statistics for American cities of over 100,000 people in more than 30 categories, including air quality, electricity use, and transportation habits. These statistics were compiled into four broad categories, in which cities could score either 5 or 10 possible points. The categories were:

Electricity (in which cities scored points for drawing energy from renewable sources and provide incentives for residents to invest in their own power sources;

Transportation (points went to cities whose commuters take public transportation or carpool);

Green living (in which cities earned points for the number of buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council and the number of areas devoted to green spaces;

Recycling and green perspectives (which measured the comprehensiveness of a city’s recycling programs and how important its city residents consider environmental issues).